Student test scores: Ten states now use them as the main criterion in teacher evaluations.

The reporters are to be applauded for addressing the subject in a statistically sound manner. And USA TODAY is to be commended for publishing the findings in such detail and so clearly — and for not underestimating the intelligence of its readers. It's interesting that the data that demonstrated the discrepancies were available all the time and just needed to be brought to light.

If teachers know before the exam that any classroom hanky-panky is very likely to be discovered, perhaps there will be less of it.

Alan Meyer; Newberg, Ore.

Honest efforts work

It is astonishing that Scott Mueller, the teacher who resigned after an investigation found he had cheated when creating study guides for students, was able to access the Ohio statewide tests before they were given.

USA TODAY OPINION

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As a former math department head in one of Michigan's excellent public systems, I regularly retrieved older tests from the state website. It was not unusual for the current test to feature some of the same questions.

Preparation using older tests, purchased materials, texts aligned to the state curriculum, careful attention to testing protocols, and a group of outstanding teachers and administrators helped raise our scores year after year. This was the intended effect of the state testing program. It was about paying attention to what mattered, not gaming the system.

Stephen B. Hatt; Indian River, Mich.

Emphasis on tests takes toll

In a world in which schools are increasingly being held accountable to raw numbers — from No Child Left Behind to Race to the Top — is it any wonder that we're learning that some teachers will cheat their way to success?

These initiatives were born of the best of intentions. The U.S. school system has long been a place where testing data were ignored. That's one of the major reasons we found ourselves in a world in which nearly a third of all students fail to graduate from high school on time, and in which barely half of African-American and Hispanic students earn diplomas with their peers.

But talk about an overcorrection: Today, data are key in determining how schools are funded, what programs they can offer, whom they can employ, and even if they are permitted to remain open. And sadly, it is only the tip of the iceberg. In our work with dropouts in several states, we have found that many of the same factors that lead teachers to cheat are leading administrators to directly and indirectly exclude students who might hurt their schools' scores.

As an education community, we should be guided by the data, absolutely. But there's a threshold at which a desire to "make the grade" consumes our humanity and leads us away from the very reasons we became educators.

Gregg Rosann, co-founder

The American Academy; Salt Lake City

Changes are needed

Thank you for your informative special report on educators and the potential for cheating on standardized testing. While upsetting, it is not all that shocking.

When the sole determinant of progress is test scores under NCLB and other mandates, the pressure to do whatever can be done to improve the scores must be strong. It does not justify the conduct, and changes must be made to the system, but it does help explain some instances.

Daniel Cotter; Chicago

Focus on individual students

USA TODAY's article states: "By 2014, NCLB dictates, 100% of public school students must be 'proficient' in math and reading. If not, a school can face replacement of its entire staff."

I wonder whether anyone in America could take 40 students of different cultures, learning ability and family status, and teach them all at the same time to be "proficient" in math and reading. That means all students must be on the same level at the same time. I do not think it is possible. All students can learn, but not all at the same rate.

The goal of education should be to find out what students can learn and help them succeed to the best of their ability.

Laura Miller; Howe, Okla.

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